a follower of Witchcraft. It has so many conflicting meanings that it should be used with great care (or preferably never at all) in order to avoid confusion. 17 common meanings are:
- A Gothic Satanist; a worshiper of Satan who, during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, was believed to use black magic to harm others, by involving the aid of Satan and his demons.
- A Wiccan; a follower of Wicca , a benign reconstruction of an ancient European Celtic religion. Wiccans are prohibited from using magic to harm others; they do not believe in the existence of Satan or demons.
- A woman of such incredible beauty that she bewitches others
- A woman of incredible ugliness; a hag.
- In ancient Native American usage and the Hebrew Scriptures: an evil person who secretly uses evil sorcery (black magic) to intentionally harm others.
- In the Christian Scriptures: a criminal who murders people by administering poisons.
- A follower of modern-day Religious Satanism , recognizing Satan as a virile pre-Christian, pagan entity.
- A wizard who inhabits an alternate world of fantasy and magic, filled with good and evil people with magical powers, flying broomsticks, dragons, talking animals, magical quills, etc. e.g. Harry Potter books.
- A person, usually a woman, who was born with supernatural abilities and is capable of performing miracles by waving a wand, wiggling a nose, etc. This is often seen in TV programs, like Bewitched or Charmed.
- Followers of a group of Caribbean religions which combine elements of tribal African religions with Christianity; e.g. Santeria , Vodun .
- A healer who follows a African Aboriginal religion, as in "witch doctor."
- An expert; e.g. " She is a witch of a writer. "
- A person who uses a forked stick or other instrument to locate sources of underground material -- typically water.
- A woman who is not submissive to her husband.
- A general "snarl" word for a nasty, vicious person, typically female.
- A follower of any religion other than Christianity (e.g. of Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Native American Spirituality, etc.).
- A magician with unusual knowledge who can apparently perform miracles during ceremonial magic rituals.
Note: The first and second definitions are mutually exclusive; the third and fourth definitions are also mutually exclusive.